Friends
by warinbabylon
Summary: After the events of the Visitation, Tegan comes to an understanding with the Doctor: maybe it is less energy to be friends.


"You're very pom."

"Hmm…"

"Really. Why on Earth would a Time Light… Time…God…" Tegan screwed up her mouth. "Bloody hell, that doesn't sound right…"

"Time Lord," the Doctor clarified. "...though I doubt you'll remember it in the morning. You're very drunk."

"I wouldn't have been…" she groused. "… if you would have joined me, you know. But why are you so pom?"

They were walking away from the bar. On her way into the building, she thought it reminded her of Casablanca, but with willow trees instead of palm trees. The Doctor had said something about not comparing other planets to Earth; she had retorted that it was all she had with which to compare anything. After all, she was a bloody airline stewardess, not an intergalactic traveler. Those overgrown frogs in Elizabethan London had been the last straw.

She squinted up at him. His face looked stern and that drove home the personification of a stern British gentleman all the more. The lights from the bar illuminated him from behind; mean and moody was the overall look it gave him. Tegan Jovanka suddenly decided that she didn't need to know why he was a Pom; she needed to go home. She needed to sleep too.

"I like humans; I like England," he defended. His arm was about her waist, his hand on her back. His other hand held her elbow. "That's why I choose to wear what I do." His hand tightened as they climbed a slight hill. "And as for my accent; well, you hear what is the most recognizable to you. You see British gentleman; you hear British gentleman."

"So if I bloody well wanted to hear a Bushman, you'd be it?" She sniffed. "Pom and prudish, you are. Quite frankly, you wouldn't know fun if it hit you in the face. All you ever take us to is the end of the Universe. Danger, running and god knows what shooting at us: that's your idea of a night out on the town. You couldn't even drink properly," she complained. "That place had more beers than patrons."

The Doctor slowed down and she was slowed in pace as well. "Yes, Tegan…I think that's enough."

"You wanted to know why I wanted to leave," she said tersely. She stopped and turned to him. He was turned to her and lowered his hands to his sides. "That's one of the main reasons. It's all drama! It's all…bloody drama! There's no fun, no spontaneous fun!"

A ghost of a smile came to his lips. "Fun might be dangerous to a Time Lord, Tegan. Spontaneous fun might cause a regeneration."

"Oh ha ha," she spat. "Honestly. I went with you to that place because you said it would be fun. You sat in the bloody corner!"

"I observed."

"You always observe. That's all you know how to do!"

Tegan turned from him and began to walk away, along the side of the lake and towards the TARDIS. "Observe and stumble into trouble. Well, I need fun. Take me to Heathrow!"

"Is that really the main reason?" He called. Tegan twisted back to see the Doctor taking off his frock coat.

"Yes!"

"That I don't know how to have spontaneous fun?!"

"Among other things, yes!" Tegan twisted back around. "Bloody Time Lord. I don't – whoop!"

Tegan was caught up in a pair of arms, her back against one shoulder and her legs over another arm. It was confusing for a mere second. Then she recognized the question marks on the collar. "Doctor!"

His steps were quick and well paced. "You do swim, yes?"

"Yes. What's that got to do with anything!? Put me down!"

"I would advise you to stop talking and take a deep breath."

She looked down at the dark, calm waters of the lake right below her and then back at him. "You wouldn't."

His smile was wide and a little bit evil. Then he deliberately stepped off the small dock into the water.

When he broke surface, Tegan bobbed in the water next to him. He was glad that the water hadn't been too cold for human comfort. He had barely taken a breath when he was hit with a small wall of water. "Bloody idiot! We're fully clothed!"

"Yes, well…we can swim again properly attired," he said with a wide smile. "Some where warmer, I think."

She splashed water at him again.

"Well, you did need to sober up, Tegan. And you did challenge me. I don't like to lose challenges."

"But you haven't won it…" she stressed as she treaded water. "Is this fun?"

"If we want it to be. It certainly was spontaneous," he replied haughtily. Tegan went to splash him again and he began to swim in her direction. It wasn't far and Tegan didn't like the impish look in his eyes. She began to backstroke away from him, but he was a more powerful swimmer.

"You brute!" She shouted as he grabbed her legs and pulled her back toward him. "Let me go!"

"Brute is it? I thought I was a Pom," he laughed. When he was able to grab her arm, she was pulled in by that. She splashed him as he began to swim backwards towards the shore. The look on his face made her laugh.

He took his time pulling the both of them to shore as they stopped often to engage in splashing matches. By the time they rounded a small island with a grove of trees, they were laughing almost constantly. There was an area under the grove with a submerged bench. It was huge and both of them took up residence on each end. They were both weak from laughter.

"My clothes are ruined."

"So are mine," the Doctor agreed. "The TARDIS can dry and fix them."

Tegan laughed helplessly. "Why did you DO that?"

"Why not?"

She leaned her head back and stared at the stars through the leaf canopy overhead. A sense of calm pervaded her; relaxation was born after a fit of laughter and stars in a summer sky reminded her of happy times in childhood.

"It was fun, spontaneous and we both needed it. We could be friends, Tegan. It certainly would take less energy from the both of us."

"I need to get home. I have a job."

"A job that would show you the Universe? And have you swimming in a lake fully clothed with a Time Lord?"

Tegan laughed at the utter idiocy of the question. "No."

His voice was a little louder. She turned her gaze to look at him as he moved closer. "I would like to be friends, you know," she admitted. "I don't dislike you. I just don't think you can fly that crate and then there is the danger..."

He chuckled. "That 'crate' seems to not want to return you to Heathrow. But could you see all of this…" He threw his arms wide as if to encompass everything and the Universe. "…if you were at Heathrow? I'll return you. We will make it someday, Tegan. I did promise. But…as I said a few days ago…it's not everyone that can walk about in their own history."

"Or future." She said quietly.

"Or someone else's history or future," he supplied. Then he smiled at her. "Out there, Tegan…we travel out there where few others travel. Let's be friends."

It was the boyish smile, the fact that it WAS too much energy to yell about her job all the time, and that she did love this sort of travel that made her agree, she decided. Or it was the alcohol speaking, but it was saying something sensical. "Friends," she agreed. "If you do something fun like this occasionally."

"That I can promise. Have I mentioned there is a TARDIS swimming pool?"

Tegan laughed.


End file.
